One of the world's most important hotspots for biodiversity is at risk, reports @nytimes.

Cagan H. Sekercioglu, University of Utah A flock of ruddy shelduck, a flagship species of Lake Kuyucuk in eastern Turkey. A new paper by biologists in Turkey and the United States warns that while Turkey’s rich biodiversity is unique and globally important, it remains poorly researched and faces growing threats, especially from development. In the paper, published in the journal Biological Conservation , the 13 authors say they hope to alert the world to the intensity of the assault on the country’s biodiversity. “It’s worse than at any time in Turkey’s history,” said Cagan Sekercioglu , an assistant professor of biology at the University of Utah and the paper’s lead author. Of 34 places in the world identified as biodiversity hot spots — places where the diversity of life is unusually rich – Turkey is the only country covered almost in its entirety by three of these regio...